Perhaps the most widely published photograph of General Eisenhower in World War II, this U.S. Army Signal Corps photo was taken around 8:30 p.m. on the eve of D-Day, June 5, 1944. It shows Eisenhower talking with First Lieutenant Wallace Strobel, Company E, 502nd Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Ike had gone to Greenham Common Airfield in England that evening to see the men off. The paratroopers of the 101st Division were among the first Allies to land in France the next day. Heavy casualties were expected. A soldier in the crowd yelled out, “Now quit worrying General, we’ll take care of this thing for you.”

The crew of a 105mm Howitzer fires a round during the fighting near the French town of Carentan. Located between the American landings at Utah Beach and Omaha Beach, the capture of Carentan was vital to the success of the Allied invasion of Normandy. The German 6th Parachute Regiment put up stiff resistance there against the 101st Airborne, the 2nd Armored, and 4th Infantry Divisions. Carentan was liberated by the Americans on June 12, 1944.